Another week before BCCI decides Shoaib's IPL fate: Shah

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah says it will take another week to decide whether banned Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar can be allowed to play in the DLF IPL.

Written by Press Trust of India

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Karachi:

BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah says it will take another week to decide whether banned Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar can be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Shah said the BCCI was yet to deliberate on the latest development where an appellate tribunal had not removed a five-year ban on Shoaib from playing in or for Pakistan but cleared him to play anywhere outside Pakistan.

"No decision has been taken on this issue because the IPL officials are busy with their matches and I think we will only reach a conclusion by next week. Our officials have also asked for more details from the PCB," Shah said.

Meanwhile in another interesting development that would come as bad news for Shoaib, apparently the IPL governing council will have to forego a clause in its players contractual conditions to allow the fast bowler to play for the Kolkata Knight Riders team.

Sources in the Pakistan board said the IPL contracts specifically mention that a player who has been banned by his home board cannot play in the IPL.

"The clause is there and our Chairman, Dr Nasim Ashraf did call up IPL President, Lalit Modi to request him to forego this clause and allow Shoaib to play so that he can earn some money from the league," one source said.

Shoaib was purchased for $425,000 by the Kolkata Knight Riders team owned by Shah Rukh Khan in the IPL players' auction.

The source said the PCB was facing some pressure from some influential quarters to do something to get Shoaib into action in the IPL.

"The Harbhajan Singh ban issue has also made things difficult for the PCB to now convince IPL to play Shoaib," he said.